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"Mama's Gun"
A true tour de force, Mama's Gun is
that rare sophomore album that shows a maturing artist at her
best. Erykah Badu's voice was always her main attraction--its
unique sound has been compared to Billie Holiday and Chaka Khan.
Here, it's her skill with that voice that shines.Badu shapes
her instrument to suit her material (all of it written or cowritten
by her). A full range is represented: On faster, danceable tracks
like "Penitentiary Philosophy" and "Booty,"
she sounds gritty and funky. On softer, more introspective tracks,
like "A.D. 2000" and the single "Bag Lady,"
she shows amazing restraint, letting her voice travel lightly
over the notes, allowing the songs' emotions to guide her performance.
The high point of the disc is Badu's duet with Stephen Marley,
"In Love with You," easily the sweetest, truest love
song of the year. That alone is reason enough to buy the disc--and
you won't regret having done so. --Courtney Kemp |
